A Note From Annie

Dear Members and Friends of Faith Des Peres,

                Have you ever had to pick up and carry the mantle of someone else’s legacy? I have. In fact, every pastor I know has. We pick up and carry the mantles of every pastor who has preceded us. Here at Faith Des Peres, that’s a lot of mantles because we have two churches in our history (Des Peres Presbyterian and Faith Presbyterian) and Des Peres’s history goes back to 1833! While I don’t find the weight of those mantles as heavy as I did back when I was called to serve as your pastor, there are days when the mantle seems more present than others. Of course, pastors aren’t the only people who have to carry the mantle of someone else. Parents pass on things to their children; professors to students; mentor to mentee.

                I’ve been thinking about mantles because this week we’re going to hear a story we rarely here, the one about the prophet Elijah passing the mantle to his protégé Elisha. Elijah’s mantle was heavy since he was one of the greats of the Bible and all. Elisha wasn’t sure he could carry it. He was scared, felt inadequate, and even asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit just to make sure he could carry on without him. But in the end, he carried it.

                All this talk about mantles and legacies and transitions has got me thinking about Faith Des Peres and where the church is in its lifecycle. Whose mantle are we carrying? How are we preparing to pass the mantle to the next generation of members? How can we empower people to pick up new mantles? I’m going to talk about all of this on Sunday! I hope you’ll come on Sunday. There’s lots of good news to share. And yes, there’s work to be done, too. But fear not, as the Bible always says. We don’t do this work alone. God is with us.

I hope to see you Sunday.

Blessings, Annie

Friday Foodies, Tonight at 7pm

Join the Friday Foodies at Canyon Cafe, 1707 S. Lindbergh Blvd., at Plaza Frontenac. Childcare will be provided at the church starting at 6:30 pm. Please RSVP to Whitney Payne by text 773-339-6642.

Buddy Pack Packers

Looking for a quick and easy way to serve the church and wider community? Join the Mission and Ministry Committee following church today to pack buddy packs. This week we're packing 160 packs. Grab a pancake and then come and help pack!

Come for Pancakes, February 11th at 11:30am

The Worship Arts Team is hosting a pancake breakfast Sunday . Why? Because it's the Sunday before Lent begins and it's time to clean the cupboard of all that yummy fattening stuff! Come as you are and stay as long as you can. Who doesn't like pancakes?!

Glitter Ash Wednesday Service, February 14th at 6:45 pm

WE WILL BE SEEN

Glitter is like love. It’s irresistible and irrepressible. 

WE WILL TELL THE TRUTH

Ashes are a statement that death and suffering are real.

Glitter is a sign of our hope, which does not despair.

Glitter signals our promise to repent, to show up, to witness, to work.

Glitter never gives up -- and neither do we.

Food Outreach Follow-up

Last Saturday 16 volunteers from Faith Des Peres helped out at Food Outreach. Along with two other groups, they packed 5100 meals!! They also stuffed envelopes for Food Outreach’s biggest fundraiser and organized their warehouse and pantry. The next Food Outreach morning is Saturday, April 28. Thank you to everyone who volunteered!

Lent 2018: “Gifts of the Dark Wood”

This series, based on the book by the same name by Eric Elnes, is about “seeing life through new eyes, recognizing that experiences of failure, emptiness, and uncertainty are as critical for finding our way through life as they are unavoidable.” We will see how experiences of life through the “dark wood” are clues to our “calling” or “life path.” How can the struggles of life be the seedbed of spiritual awakening to the fullness of life? Join us for worship during Lent. All are welcome, all the time.

One Great Hour of Sharing 2018

Again this year, Faith Des Peres is collecting the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering on Easter. OGHS is a Presbyterian Church (USA) ministry that supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self Development of People. Next Sunday, we’ll distribute the fish coin boxes to all members and friends. Drop your loose change in the fish during Lent, and then bring it to church with you on Easter Sunday. (We’ll also take a check!) This year’s goal is $1750. Help us help others. Thank you.

PALS Guest Speaker, February 18 at 9:30

Everyone is invited to attend PALS next Sunday when Lisa Guilliams, founder of Twigs, will be our guest speaker. Twigs is the organization we get our food from for Buddy Packs. Launched in 2011, Twigs is a summer lunch program and school-year pack-a-sack program in multiple communities in Illinois. Their mission is to help the communities they serve grow strong, healthy children by eliminating hunger and to raise awareness about the widespread problem of childhood hunger. Their vision is: A child, a neighborhood, a community, a world, without hunger. We hope you can come and learn more about Twigs and how much they’ve helped our Buddy Pack ministry.

Music Notes

We are looking for people interested in ringing in our new handbell choir.  We could use 2-4 people who are willing to learn.  Note-reading helpful, but not required. Right now, we’re practicing for 45-60 minutes after church on Sunday mornings. Do you play an instrument?   We’d like to put together a database of people who are willing to share their gift in church  services.  Any level of ability is welcome!  If we have enough, we might be able to have a small orchestra!  Would you like to play an instrument?  We have some folks who play the recorder, and would be interested in putting together an ensemble (technically called a “consort.”)  This not the squeaky instrument that 4th graders bring home (which are soprano recorders), but larger, lower-pitched instruments. If you’re interested in bells, playing, or learning, check the sign-up sheets in the Gathering Space.  See Jeff White if you have any questions.

Food Outreach, February 3rd, 8 am

Food Outreach, February 3rd, 8 am
Come join members of Faith Des Peres at Food Outreach on Saturday morning, February 3rd. There we will pack food into individual meals that will be given to those living with HIV/AIDS and cancer that are living at or below the poverty level. We start at 8am and are done before 11 am. Food Outreach requests that volunteers be at least 11 years old and in 5th grade. Food Outreach is located at 3117 Olive Street. Meet us there

Coffee with The Pastor, Sunday February 4th at 9:30am

You’re invited to “Coffee with the Pastor” on Sunday, February 4th at 9:30 am in the
Gathering Space. You will have the opportunity to get answers to questions about what it      means to be Presbyterian in a friendly and fun environment while also meeting some great people.   If you’ve already attended a “Coffee with the Pastor” and are interested in joining the church, we plan on accepting new members during worship in February. Any Questions?  Ask Pastor  Annie.  It would be an honor to be your church family. 

Friday Foodies, February 9th at 7pm

Join the Friday Foodies at Canyon Cafe, 1707 S. Lindbergh Blvd., Store #2 St. Louis, MO 63131. Childcare will be provided at the church starting at 6:30 pm. Please RSVP to Whitney Payne by text 773-339-6642 or Sign up sheet in the Gathering Space.

Buddy Pack Packers

Looking for a quick and easy way to serve the church and wider community? Join the                 Mission and Ministry Committee following church on February 11th to pack buddy packs.

Come for Pancakes, February 11 at 11:30am

The Worship Arts Team is hosting a pancake breakfast on February 11 . Breakfast includes pancakes and worship includes burning last year’s palms outside in a fire pit. Sign-up in the Gathering Space if you plan to attend and if you can, lend a hand. If you would like to help or have questions see Pastor Annie or Leslie Barnes.

Ash Wednesday Service, February 14th at 6:45 pm

Ash Wednesday Service, February 14th at 6:45 pm
Plan on joining us on Wednesday, February 14th for a brief (30 minute) Ash Wednesday service. All are welcome as we enter the season of Lent.

Donate to the Janet Boyer Music Fund

Janet Boyer was a long-term member of Faith Des Peres. She and her husband started and owned Music Folk in Webster Grove. Since her passing, FDP created the “Janet Boyer Music Fund" to hire special musicians throughout the year. All donations to the fund will go directly into the special music provided here at FDP.

Music Notes

We are looking for people interested in ringing in our new handbell choir.  We could use 2-4 people who are willing to learn.  Note-reading helpful, but not required. Right now, we’re practicing for 45-60 minutes after church on Sunday mornings. Do you play an instrument?   We’d like to put together a database of people who are willing to share their gift in church  services.  Any level of ability is welcome!  If we have enough, we might be able to have a small orchestra!  Would you like to play an instrument?  We have some folks who play the recorder, and would be interested in putting together an ensemble (technically called a “consort.”)  This not the squeaky instrument that 4th graders bring home (which are soprano recorders), but larger, lower-pitched instruments. If you’re interested in bells, playing, or learning, check the sign-up sheets in the Gathering Space.  See Jeff White if you have any questions.

A NOTE FROM ANNIE

Dear Friends of Faith Des Peres,

Last Sunday was a wonderful one! We celebrated the baptism of Henry Robert Harper, our 6th baptism in 6 months. This is a really big deal! I don’t know many churches that have celebrated this many baptisms. Each and every one of them has been a joyous occasion and cause for celebration.

Also last Sunday, we hosted Kelly Storck who spoke to us about understanding transgender. Kelly’s presentation made me think about how Faith Des Peres can be more welcoming to people across the gender spectrum. Most churches, as Kelly pointed, aren’t welcoming at all to people who are transgender. So while we can stand proud that we are, I can think of ways that we could improve our hospitality. Can you? As we seek to live into our values and fulfill our goals of growing spiritually and numerically, we need to constantly evaluate how we’re doing on the hospitality front. What one thing can you do to make someone’s visit to Faith Des Peres better? This is a question everyone should be asking and answering.

On Friday night we’ll have our annual game night. This is a fun night for people of all ages; bring a game, drink or nosh to the Gathering Space on January 26 at 7 pm, or just bring yourself!

Lastly, our morning to volunteer at Food Outreach is Saturday, February 3. Food Outreach provides meals to people living with HIV/AIDS and cancer. We pack already prepared food in individual containers from 8:00 am – 10:30 am. Food Outreach is very well run which makes for a really good volunteer experience. Trust me, you’ll leave feeling like you’ve really accomplished something good. Consider volunteering that morning; you only need to be 12 years and older, and you will stand for most of that time. Let us know if you can volunteer; we still need about 10 people.

I hope to see you Sunday in worship!

Blessings,

Annie

Girl Scout Cookies

Charlotte Epling is selling Girl Scout cookies today after church. Please see her in the Gathering Space.